Outblaze Ventures (Animoca™) raises Series A investments from Intel Capital and IDG-Accel
Outblaze Ventures (Animoca™) raises Series A investments from Intel Capital and IDG-Accel
Leading VCs Intel Capital and IDG-Accel invest in Animoca’s rapidly growing smartphone app business
HONG KONG, 15 November 2011 – Outblaze Ventures Holdings Limited (the “Company”), also known as Animoca™, a smartphone games developer and publisher based in Hong Kong, has successfully closed its Series A funding round with investments from Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment organization, and IDG-Accel China Growth Fund III L.P. (“IDG-Accel”).
Since beginning operation in January 2011, Animoca has released more than 150 apps for Apple iOS and Google Android smartphone and tablet devices, including the highly popular “Pretty Pet” series of games (Pretty Pet Salon, Pretty Pet Tycoon, Pretty Pet Pony and others). Animoca operates a number of mobile games brands including Dream Cortex™, one of Hong Kong’s premier digital studios.
Animoca will use the newly raised funds to drive further growth of its apps business and to cement the company’s position as a leader in the app games sector.
“With dozens of top-ranked apps and more than 40 million downloads worldwide, in just ten months we have built Animoca into one of the – if not the – largest app game companies in this part of the world. We expect continued growth as we further expand our business on all fronts,” said David Kim, CEO and co-founder of Animoca. “The global app market continues to grow, and our goal is to establish the Animoca brand as a major international leader in smartphone games; the investments from Intel Capital and IDG-Accel will be critical to our efforts.”
About Outblaze Ventures (Animoca)
Outblaze Ventures Holdings Limited, also known as Animoca™, is a global mobile media provider that develops and publishes innovative entertainment and education apps under the Animoca™ and Dream Cortex™ brands. The Company is one of the largest app developers and publishers in the world, with over 150 game and education apps for Apple iOS and Google Android platforms. Based in Hong Kong with offices and representatives throughout Asia and North America, Animoca has launched the highly acclaimed Pretty Pet series, My Car Salon, Hospital Story, and many other leading titles. For more information and to see a complete list of apps, please visit http://www.animoca.com/.
About Intel Capital
Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment and M&A organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, mobility, health, consumer Internet, digital media, semiconductor manufacturing and cleantech. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$10.4 billion in over 1,185 companies in 51 countries. In that timeframe, 194 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 286 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2010, Intel Capital invested US$327 million in 119 investments with approximately 44 percent of funds invested outside the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com.
About IDG-Accel China
As the leading investment team in China, IDG-Accel China team was among the first to introduce foreign venture capital investment into China in early 1990’s and has since then invested in around 200 diverse successful portfolio, such as Baidu, Sohu, Tencent, Soufun, Ctrip, Home Inns, Hanting and Kanghui. Over 60 portfolios have successfully completed IPO or M&A.
‘Pretty Pet Salon Summer’ Launched on Apple’s App Store
‘Pretty Pet Salon Summer’ Launched on Apple’s App Store
Summer sequel for the global hit game series
HONG KONG – July 8, 2011: Outblaze and Animoca announce the release of Pretty Pet Salon Summer on Apple’s App Store. Pretty Pet Salon Summer is the latest installment in the smash-hit “Pretty Pet” game series that quickly became a top-grossing global chart leader for Apple’s iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) and Google’s Android. Pretty Pet Salon Summer is available free of charge on the App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pretty-pet-salon-summer/id444686378?mt=8.
The games in the “Pretty Pet” series have been downloaded more than 11 million times, fascinating players with an addictive blend of action and strategy while reaching numerous top rankings all over the world since their introduction in January, 2011.
In Pretty Pet Salon Summer, players control the charming piglet Piglina and help her operate a pet grooming salon in the heat and fashion of the summer season. The game demands quick reflexes, quicker thinking, and clever time management skills in order to ensure that pets are groomed correctly, customers are satisfied, and Piglina’s salon makes a healthy profit. Players must also budget their resources to upgrade the salon’s grooming equipment and hire assistants to cope with additional customers as the salon’s business expands.
In its first 24 hours, the recently launched Pretty Pet Salon Summer reached first place in Free Family Apps in Hong Kong, and number 6 on the Free iPhone Games Apps list in Singapore. In the US, in its first day the game climbed to the Top 5 and Top 20 in Games-Family and Games-Overall, respectively.
Pretty Pet Salon Summer is free to download and play. Optional in-game upgrades can be bought with Pet Points, which are purchased with real money. Download Pretty Pet Salon Summer now free of charge for Apple devices at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pretty-pet-salon-summer/id444686378?mt=8.
Pretty Pet Salon Summer was developed by Outblaze and Dream Cortex and is published by Animoca.
About Outblaze
Outblaze is a private company established in 1998 in Hong Kong, with offices in the USA, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Philippines. A pioneer in the field of multilingual communication services for online communities, Outblaze and its partners today develop and offer a broad variety of products and services in digital media and entertainment, including massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), games and game engines for various platforms and formats, virtual community services, online transaction systems, social network gaming, smartphone apps, and web communication services. For more information please visit www.outblaze.com.
About Animoca
Animoca is a cross-platform app publisher of entertainment products for smartphones and social media networks. Thanks to its ability to publish and promote products in multiple languages, Animoca is expanding operations and market share around the world. The company has published several popular titles for iOS, including the smash hit Pretty Pet Salon. On Facebook, Animoca products have accrued several million monthly active users across popular titles like Who Loves You More, Daily Luck Meter, My Friend Map, and Speed Club. Animoca continues to expand is product pipeline as it pursues its mission to publish compelling and groundbreaking social network games and software. For more information visit www.animoca.com.
About Dream Cortex
Dream Cortex is a graphic design and app development studio and one of Hong Kong’s premier digital content creation companies. As a pillar of the renowned Cyberport complex, Dream Cortex offers a state-of-the-art 3D animation and production environment coupled with industry leading digital media post-production and distribution infrastructure. Creative services offered by Dream Cortex include PC and next-generation console game art design, web design, web application development, and smart phone app development. For more information please visit www.dreamcortex.com.
‘My Pet Cuby’ Launches for iPhone
‘My Pet Cuby’ Launches for iPhone
Pretty Pet series introduces virtual pet gameplay
HONG KONG – June 2, 2011: Outblaze and Animoca today released My Pet Cuby for Apple’s iOS devices including iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The latest entry in the popular “Pretty Pet” series, My Pet Cuby offers a graphically-rich virtual pet app featuring the adorable dog Cuby. The game is free to play and can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-pet-cuby/id438133965?mt=8.
The ‘Pretty Pet’ series (www.prettypetsalon.com) includes Pretty Pet Salon, Pretty Pet Salon Seasons, Pretty Pet Tycoon and other games that have been downloaded millions of times and achieved dozens of top App Store rankings around the world. In My Pet Cuby, players interact with a virtual dog named Cuby, a popular character from the Pretty Pet series. Cuby, exhausted by all the running around that the previous games required of him, is taking a well-deserved break to be pampered and spoiled by… you.
Interact with Cuby to make him sing, strum the guitar, play ball, dance or perform nearly a hundred hilarious animations. Give Cuby his favorite foods, drinks, and special treats in order to increase his happiness meter. Keep Cuby happy in order to unlock new animations, interactions, pet clothes, and additional environments.
My Pet Cuby uses lush 3D rendered graphics to deliver an app in which players interact not only with the virtual pet but also with the environment. Cuby responds with lifelike animations and realistic sounds, bringing to life one of the popular characters from the Pretty Pet series of games. Regular updates to My Pet Cuby will add more content including new interactions, animations, sounds, and games.
My Pet Cuby is free to download and play. Optional in-game upgrades can be bought in-game using real money or earned via the built-in advertising referral system. In order to play, iPhone and iPod Touch users must have 3GS/iPhone 4 devices with support for iOS 3.1.3 or better.
My Pet Cuby was developed by Outblaze and Dream Cortex and is published by Animoca. Download My Pet Cuby now free of charge from Apple’s App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-pet-cuby/id438133965?mt=8.
About Outblaze
Outblaze is a private company established in 1998 in Hong Kong, with offices in the USA, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Philippines. A pioneer in the field of multilingual communication services for online communities, Outblaze and its partners today develop and offer a broad variety of products and services in digital media and entertainment, including massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), games and game engines for various platforms and formats, virtual community services, online transaction systems, social network gaming, smartphone apps, and web communication services. For more information please visit www.outblaze.com.
About Animoca
Animoca is a cross-platform app publisher of entertainment products for smartphones and social media networks. Thanks to its ability to publish and promote products in multiple languages, Animoca is expanding operations and market share around the world. The company has published several popular titles for iOS, including the smash hit Pretty Pet Salon. On Facebook, Animoca products have accrued several million monthly active users across popular titles like Who Loves You More, Daily Luck Meter, My Friend Map, and Speed Club. Animoca continues to expand is product pipeline as it pursues its mission to publish compelling and groundbreaking social network games and software. For more information visit www.animoca.com.
About Dream Cortex
Dream Cortex is a graphic design and app development studio and one of Hong Kong’s premier digital content creation companies. As a pillar of the renowned Cyberport complex, Dream Cortex offers a state-of-the-art 3D animation and production environment coupled with industry leading digital media post-production and distribution infrastructure. Creative services offered by Dream Cortex include PC and next-generation console game art design, web design, web application development, and smart phone app development. For more information please visit www.dreamcortex.com.
Chart-Topping ‘Pretty Pet Salon’ Launches on Android
Chart-Topping ‘Pretty Pet Salon’ Launches on Android
The addictive hit game series debuts on Google’s mobile platform
HONG KONG – May 13, 2011: Outblaze and Animoca today announced the release of Pretty Pet Salon for Google’s Android platform. Pretty Pet Salon is the smash-hit game that quickly became a top-grossing global chart leader on Apple’s iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), accumulating over 4 million downloads and spawning a number of successful sequels. Now, Android users too can experience the addictive blend of action and management of Pretty Pet Salon, available free of charge on Google’s Android Market at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.animoca.prettyPetSalon.
The games in the ‘Pretty Pet’ series, including Pretty Pet Salon, Pretty Pet Salon Seasons, and Pretty Pet Tycoon, have been downloaded 7 million times and achieved Top 10 iTunes App Store rankings in dozens of markets since their introduction on January 26, 2011.
In Pretty Pet Salon, players take control of a charming piglet named Piglina to help her operate a pet grooming salon frequented by some very demanding customers. Players must use quick reflexes, quicker thinking, and clever time management skills in order to ensure that pets are groomed correctly, customers are satisfied, and the salon makes a healthy profit. Players must also budget their resources to upgrade the salon’s grooming equipment and hire assistants to cope with additional customers as the salon’s reputation (hopefully) increases.
Pretty Pet Salon is the first game in the ‘Pretty Pet’ series to be released for Android (version 2.2 or better required). Like the iOS version, the game is free to download and play. Optional in-game upgrades can be bought with Pet Points, which are purchased with real money or earned via the built-in advertising referral system.
Pretty Pet Salon was developed by Outblaze and Dream Cortex and is published by Animoca. Download Pretty Pet Salon now free of charge for your Android device at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.animoca.prettyPetSalon.
About Outblaze
Outblaze is a private company established in 1998 in Hong Kong, with offices in the USA, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Philippines. Originally a pioneer of multilingual communication services for online communities, Outblaze and its partners today develop and offer a broad variety of products and services in digital media and entertainment, including massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), games and game engines for various platforms and formats, virtual community services, online transaction systems, social network gaming, smartphone apps, and web communication services. For more information please visit www.outblaze.com.
About Animoca
Animoca is a cross-platform app publisher of entertainment products for smartphones and social media networks. Thanks to its ability to publish and promote products in multiple languages, Animoca is expanding operations and market share around the world. The company has published several popular titles for iOS, including the smash hit Pretty Pet Salon. On Facebook, Animoca products have accrued several million monthly active users across popular titles like Who Loves You More, Daily Luck Meter, My Friend Map, and Speed Club. Animoca continues to expand its product pipeline as it pursues its mission to publish compelling and groundbreaking social network games and software. For more information please visit www.animoca.com.
About Dream Cortex
Dream Cortex is a graphic design and app development studio and one of Hong Kong’s premier digital content creation companies. As a pillar of the renowned Cyberport complex, Dream Cortex offers a state-of-the-art 3D animation and production environment coupled with industry leading digital media post-production and distribution infrastructure. Creative services offered by Dream Cortex include PC and next-generation console game art design, web design, web application development, and smart phone app development. For more information please visit www.dreamcortex.com.
Outblaze and Animoca Announce ‘Pretty Pet Tycoon’ iPhone Game
Outblaze and Animoca Announce ‘Pretty Pet Tycoon’ iPhone Game
Sequel to “Pretty Pet Salon” Offers Expanded Gameplay and Fruit-Powered Action
HONG KONG – April 12, 2011: Outblaze and Animoca today announced the availability of Pretty Pet Tycoon for Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. Pretty Pet Tycoon is the premium sequel to the smash-hit adventure strategy game Pretty Pet Salon, a top-grossing global chart leader featuring a charming piggy named Piglina. Debuting as an App Store Top 10 favorite in its category, Pretty Pet Tycoon sees the return of Piglina as she faces the daunting task of building a mighty business empire. Pretty Pet Tycoon can be downloaded at Apple’s App Store for US$ 1.99. The prequels Pretty Pet Salon and Pretty Pet Salon Seasons are also available on the App Store and are free to download.
In Pretty Pet Tycoon, the adorable Piglina has decided she’s had enough of the stressful life of a pet salon manager. Retreating to a cozy farm in the countryside, she discovers that a mysterious stranger wants her to conquer the world of business using the fruit grown on the farm. Players must use quick reflexes and shrewd time management skills to help Piglina run her farm and earn income. To assist Piglina as she grows a mighty fruity empire, players can choose to recruit farmhands, purchase new equipment, upgrade existing equipment, and manage advanced fruit-processing facilities like the Juice Factory and Candy Factory.
Building on the success of Pretty Pet Salon – which was downloaded over four million times - Pretty Pet Tycoon features expanded gameplay, a map system that lets players experience different forms of frantically fruity action, an achievement system, and additional content coming in regular future updates. Pretty Pet Tycoon is developed by Outblaze and Dream Cortex, and published by Animoca. Download it now at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pretty-pet-tycoon/id429611577.
About Outblaze
Outblaze is a private company established in 1998 in Hong Kong, with offices in the USA, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Philippines. A pioneer in the field of multilingual communication services for online communities, Outblaze and its partners today develop and offer a broad variety of products and services in digital media and entertainment, including massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), games and game engines for various platforms and formats, virtual community services, online transaction systems, social network gaming, smartphone apps, and web communication services. For more information please visit www.outblaze.com.
About Animoca
Animoca is a cross-platform app publisher of entertainment products for smartphones and social media networks. Thanks to its ability to publish and promote products in multiple languages, Animoca is expanding operations and market share around the world. The company has published several popular titles for iOS, including the smash hit Pretty Pet Salon. On Facebook, Animoca products have accrued several million monthly active users across popular titles like Who Loves You More, Daily Luck Meter, My Friend Map, and Speed Club. Animoca continues to expand is product pipeline as it pursues its mission to publish compelling and groundbreaking social network games and software. For more information visit www.animoca.com.
About Dream Cortex
Dream Cortex is a graphic design and app development studio and one of Hong Kong’s premier digital content creation companies. As a pillar of the renowned Cyberport complex, Dream Cortex offers a state-of-the-art 3D animation and production environment coupled with industry leading digital media post-production and distribution infrastructure. Creative services offered by Dream Cortex include PC and next-generation console game art design, web design, web application development, and smart phone app development. For more information please visit www.dreamcortex.com.
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